OTTAWA - Gilbert Parent, former speaker of Canada's House of Commons, has died after a lengthy illness, current Speaker Peter Milliken announced Tuesday.

Parent, 73, died Monday night, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

Parent, a liberal who represented the Niagara region in Ontario province, served as speaker from 1994 to 2001. He was first elected to Parliament in 1979. He lost his seat in 1984, then retook it four years later.